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Kalibak was the son of Darkseid. He often sought the approval of his father, but his rather slow nature earned him constant disapproval. During the Apokolips Civil War, Kalibak was imprisoned on Earth.
History[]
Early battles[]
As the first son of Darkseid, Kalibak lived a life of neglect and abuse by his power-hungry father. Unlike his half-brother, Orion, and foster brother, Mister Miracle, he was the only one of Darkseid's sons that not only was loyal to him, but desperately wanted his approval. When Darkseid turned his sights on Earth, and in particular, Superman, Kalibak saw it as a chance to prove himself as an able warrior but was denied.
Despite not having permission to take on Superman and initially obeying Darkseid's command not to challlenge him, Kalibak , goaded by Desaad, went to Earth on his own initiative. As it happened, it was during Father's Day and Jonathan Kent was with his son, Clark, celebrating in Metropolis. In order to attract Superman, Kalibak went on a rampage of destruction, and a massive battle ensued between them. Before Superman was able to subdue him, however, Darkseid arrived to take back his son and attack Superman with a devastating blow. Kalibak was taken back to Apokolips to receive his punishment.
Later on, when Darkseid began his full-fledged invasion of Earth, Kalibak was not allowed to take a direct role. Despite his loyalty to his father, he resented the trust that was put in Steppenwolf, a hunter from Apokolips. During the final moments, after Superman was captured, the hero was freed by the help of Dan Turpin. Although Kalibak tried to take on Superman, he was soundly defeated and the army was forced to leave by the arrival of the New Gods.
At that point, Darkseid could no longer directly invade Earth, so instead Superman was captured and brainwashed by Granny Goodness to believe that he was Darkseid's son. The favor that Darkseid showed for Superman instilled a great deal of jealousy in Kalibak. When Superman regained his wits and returned to fight Darkseid, Kalibak was only too eager for a rematch. His battle was short-lived, however, as Superman quickly disposed of him to deal with Darkseid.
Darkseid's death[]
Years later, Kalibak was present for a humiliating defeat against the New Gods. With their forces decimated, he was put in charge of reconstruction. But while the rebuilding process was underway, they were interrupted by the arrival of Brainiac. While Darkseid attempted to get assistance from Superman (while doing some scheming of his own), Kalibak led the attack against Brainiac. The weapons of Apokolips proved useless against the force field. Only after Superman was able to bring down the force field was Kalibak's forces able to advance.
Soon after, Darkseid was killed after attempting to take over Brainiac and being thwarted by Orion and the Justice League. Later, Kalibak would travel to Earth and join a group to help in killing Superman. During the ensuing battle, Kalibak was able to take down Wonder Woman but was thwarted by Batman, who stalled him long enough for Superman to show up. However, the attack was successful—to a small extent—in that Superman was warped to the future and presumed dead.
Afterwards Kalibak joined a large group of villains who went on a rampage in Metropolis in the wake of Superman's apparent death after escaping from prison. His destruction was interrupted by a missile blast from Batman. He ended up going against Lobo in a battle, a match that he lost sorely, forcing him to cry "uncle" in defeat.
After his defeat on Earth, he was captured by Virman Vundabar as a bargaining chip in the Apokolips Civil War. His foster brother Mr. Miracle was blackmailed by Granny Goodness to rescue Kalibak (so she could use Kalibak for the same reason). With the help of Flash, Mr. Miracle and Big Barda were able to break into the X-Pit. Though disgusted that he was being helped by one of Superman's allies and his traitorous brother, Kalibak nonetheless accepted their help, and they escaped. Kalibak was ultimately incarcerated on Earth.
Powers and abilities[]
Kalibak boasts superhuman strength and resilience, no doubt thanks to his heritage as Darkseid's son. In battle, he has been a match for the likes of Wonder Woman, but defeated multiple times by Superman and even once by Lobo. There has been some discrepancy shown in Kalibak's power levels in the DCAU. In his first battle with Superman, Kalibak was shown to be capable of sustaining a prolonged battle with the Man of Steel, granted the Man of Steel was holding back. However, in all of their subsequent altercations, Superman was able to defeat Kalibak quite easily, usually with one punch. Even so, he can take a lot of damage, even surviving a missile blast and having a dozen cars on top of him. However, Kalibak is not able to withstand his father's Omega Effect, unlike Superman. His fighting skills are limited to feats of brute strength, as he was hard pressed to even touch Batman in a fight. He was also flipped by the Dark Knight as well.
Background information[]
In DC comics, Kalibak was the first-born son of Darkseid by his wife Suli, who was murdered by Desaad on the orders of Queen Heggra, Darkseid's mother. The Kalibak of the comics was also a more formidable threat, being more powerful and intelligent than his DCAU counterpart, largely regarded as Darkseid's second in command over more capable characters like Desaad and Granny Goodness. However, he also has a difficult relationship with Darkseid due to the fact that Darkseid favored Orion over Kalibak. This deepened an already intense rivalry between the two.
Appearances[]
Superman: The Animated Series
- "Father's Day"
- "Apokolips... Now!, Part II"
- "Legacy, Part I" (Cameo)
- "Legacy, Part II"
Justice League
Justice League Unlimited
External links[]
| The New Gods |
|---|
| Apokolips |
| Bernadeth • Darkseid • Desaad • Granny Goodness • Kalibak • Kanto • Lashina • Mad Harriet • Mantis • Steppenwolf • Stompa • Virman Vundabar |
| New Genesis |
| Beautiful Dreamer • Big Barda • Big Bear • Black Racer • Forager • Highfather • Lightray • Mark Moonrider • Metron • Mister Miracle • Orion • Sera • Serifan • Vykin the Black |